INAMINATION

Now that Glen Beck’s  “Restoring Honor” show is in our rear view mirror, I find myself wondering why he and his compatriots from Fox News and/or the politcal right are never called out on the hypocrosy of their constant quoting of the “content of their character” line from Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech.  I ask that question because earlier in that very speech Dr. King said, “America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked insufficient funds.” Now that particular quote was lightweight compared to what he said about America in his1968 “Drum Major Instinct” speech.  In that speech he accused the United States of “committing more war crimes than almost any other nation in the world.” Also in 1968, Dr. King also called America “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today” in his “Beyond Vietnam — A Time to Break Silence” speech.

I submit to you that if Dr. King were to make any of those comments today, he would be hung in effigy on Fox News.  I say that because the Rev. Jerimiah Wright has said the very same thing in his “Day of Jerusalem’s Fall” sermon in 2001 and in his “Confusing God and Goverment” (God damn America) sermon in 2003.   Don’t get me wrong, I believe that both men were speaking the truth and making some very difficult points that all loyal Americans need to cringe at when we hear them exposed.  I recognize that America has done some great things in the world but he beautiful thing about the truth is that sometimes it hurts but it always sets you free!!

What I would like for someone to do is to ask anyone at Fox News or anyone along the right side of the political spectum, what is the difference is between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rev. Jerimiah Wright?

Well they are at it again–this time it’s a Mosque.  Since Barack Obama came on the national political scene the political right has been throwing all kinds of stuff against the wall, hoping something will stick.  First it was Bill Ayers, then Jeremiah Wright.  Moving on to his religious beliefs (supposedly Muslim), his birthplace, his middle name, his secret desire to turn the USA into a socialist government and on and on and on… 

The pattern is very familiar and very clear; keep the populace focused on things that don’t amount to a hill of beans by sensationalize things that don’t amount to a hill of beans.  The latest controversy about the Mosque in New York is just plain rediculous.  Here we have a President that is re-affirming the right of any religious group to practice their religion anyplace that is congruent with all of the laws and ordinances of a local municipality.  Should be very clear, it is written right there in the Constitution, yet it has spriraled into a hot button political issue, with the flames being fanned by the political right.  You know, the crowd that is always screaming “God bless America!”

I say that instead of being so concerned about where a group of Muslims choose to build a Mosque, let’s be more concerned about why it is taking so long to rebuild something on the “hallowed ground” site of Ground Zero!!  Especially when the Mosque is being built on the site that no one else seemed wanted anything to do with.   I wonder if there would be this much hubbub if the same group wanted to build a grocery store on the same spot?  In my opinion, this is nothing more than another political tactic that could be called “Weapons of Mass Distraction’

Your thoughts?

Okay so the debate rages on about the legitimacy of same sex marriages.  Should they be allowed to exist in the same way that traditional marriages have existed since the beginning of time?  Well as a follower of Jesus Christ, I must regognize the lesson laid out in the parable of the “Wheat & Tares” ( Matthew 13:24-30).  Therefore, this Blogmaster cannot see how the relationship between two consenting adults can be any business of mine.  Having said that, I must ask why the political supporters of same sex marriages try to claim that a same sex marital relationship is just like or equal to heterosexual marital relationship; it’s not!

The major reason it is not and never can be is because of one important factor….the procreation of life.  It is a fair statement that one of the major purposes of a marital union is to bring forth new life and all things being “equal”  a same sex union must go outside of the union to acheive that particular goal.  Obviously something clearly not necessary in a hetorosexual union.  So as we move forward wih this controversy, I say let consenting adults conduct their lives with all the legal recognition they desire but let’s stop trying to make the claim that same sex relationships are equal to heterosexual….they are not. 

The conservative wing of America’s political spectrum is just downright giddy these days, about the sagging poll numbers of one Barack Obama.  Conversely, the liberal side of the coin is beginning to exhibit signs of fret, worry and just plain paranoria.   Actually we’ve seen this all play out before.  Back in the day (circa 1982), the modern day icon of politcal conservatism, Ronald Reagan, was in the same job approval space to which President Obama now finds himself mired.  Approval numbers below 50% and lots of discussion about whether or not the American electorate had made a grave error by electing a change agent as President.
A quick gander into the rear view mirror of American history reminds us that not only was Ronald Reagan re-elected, but he is now touted as some kind of saint to political conservtives.  So to the political right I say, “Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched.”   To the political left I say, “Don’t worry–be happy.”  To the rest of the voting public I say, “Watch, wait, ask a lot of questions and don’t believe the hype!”

As the rest of the right wing politcal goes about their daily diatribe of “player-hating” and goes balistic because President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize, Senator John McCain (definitely no supporter of the political philosopy of President Obama) offered up what I felt was a sincere congratulations to him.  Senator Mcain shared that he was proud to be an American and finished with what I thought was a fair challenge to the President.  He said, Now he surely has a lot to live up to.”
I agree with Senator McCain and I have full confidence that Presient Obama will do just that.

Yesterday I heard yet another right leaning radio talk show host espouse some criticism at former President Jimmy Carter for his statements about element of racism fueling some of the vitriol of disapproval for President Obama’s policies. I am not necessarily slamming the right side of the political spectrum here but this guy when called President Carter an embarrassment to America and claimed the he was a hypocrite because of President Carter’s use of “derogatory racial epitaphs” at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. According to this particular host, the Black Republicans had sent him an audio tape of President Carter referring to Barack Obama as a “Black Boy.”

First of all, I was shocked to hear that there was a group of conservatives that call themselves “Black Republicans” but more on that later. The tape they sent to the radio host was apparently by someone interviewing former President Carter after the Democrats had nominated Barack Obama as the nominee for the presidency. President Carter was expressing his joy and pride in America because the delegates had nominated “this Black Boy from Illinois” as the democratic candidate for president of the United States.

I would be the first to admit that President Carter’s use of the term “Black Boy” was not the best choice of words, but to try equating that to using “derogatory racial epitaphs” and paint him as a hypocrite is naïve at best. President Carter was elated and boasting at what had just been accomplished by the Democratic Party electorate. This in no way can be compared to the rage that is being fanned by the right.

President Carter is right!! He did not say all but he did say that the rage is IN PART due to racism. It is true that it’s only a few but unfortunately some of those few are the loudest, the most prominent. In my observation, conservatives will admit that racism still exists in our society but sadly they only try to pin that sin on people who are innocent of the crime, i.e. Barack Obama & Jimmy Carter. They NEVER call it out where it truly exists, i.e. “You lie!!” and “Barack the Magic Negro.”

Now about those Black Republicans; WHAT IS THAT? Might that be a bit of hypocrisy? I thought the Republicans/Conservatives felt there is no need to separate people ethnically. “I don’t see color” they claim.  The conservatives always want to know why we need a Black Student Union or an Asian Student Group, etc. They want to know why we have a Black History Month and wonder why they can’t have a “White History Month” or a “White Student Union”, etc. So I must ask, since there are the Black Republicans, why can’t they have the “White Republicans?”

In October 2008 the Federal Government instituted the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). Needless to say it was a very controversial move by the Feds and came with much criticism, fear and trepidation. The criticism has continued and has even elevated to a chorus of accusations that President Obama is the 2nd coming of Adolf Hitler or the Anti-Christ.

According to the New York Times, as of September 14, 2009 at least eight of the largest banks and fourteen smaller banks have repaid their TARP funds to the Federal government. To date, he American taxpayers have seen an average of a 15% rate of return. Now it is way too early to become giddy about the trend because there are many banks that have yet to pay back their loans.  But it is a sign that the very process of some banks paying back the loans should begin to put to rest this notion that President Obama is some sort of a Socialist in hiding with designs on turning our country into the 2nd coming of a 1930’s style Germany or some other fascist regime.

It may surprise many critics of the TARP but in the 1980’s the U.S Government bailed out the Chrysler Corporation and made a $350 million profit. With that historical perspective and the early trends about the current TARP, some interesting questions come to light.  First, is it possible that the TARP may actually work?  For the sake of our country I certainly hope so.  Second, why don’t the critics of of President Obama speak about the 1980’s Chrysler  bailout and give President Obama credit for what he is trying to do—save the American economy.  Kind of makes you wonder if there is another agenda going on.

To the left side of the political spectrum, credit must also be given where credit is due. TARP was a creation of the George W. Bush administration.

Representative Joe Wilson’s outburst the other night, at the President’s address to Congress, should strike fear into the hearts of every American, no matter what side of the political spectrum you claim. His spontaneous reaction to President Obama’s ascertain that nothing in his health care plan would require service provision to illegal aliens illustrates how our society and way of life is deteriorating at a breakneck pace. We have gotten to the place that our political discourse can now show such disrespect for the duly elected leader of our country that it allows one to call him a liar while he is in the midst of giving a public speech. The real sad part is that he was not lying. There is nothing in the any health plan, even the current one, which requires anyone to give any kind of health service to illegal aliens.

You may ask, if that is true then why such an outcry about that piece of the puzzle. My only possible answer to that is that most people don’t really know that much about our country’s health plan(s) to begin with. That’s because most of us have health plans and we don’t want anyone messing with it in any shape form or fashion….which is why the “everyone is going to be forced into a government system” tactic has gained some traction. But anyway, back to my point.

What really happens with illegal aliens and health care in this country is that they rarely make use of the normal process that most of us do via making appointments with doctors or clinics for check-ups and treatment of regular illnesses, etc., because they fear being found out and deported back to their home country. Their access of the system usually happens in the emergency rooms of hospitals with life threatening injuries and sickness. There is no hospital in the nation that will turn them, or anyone for that matter, away. They will be treated and the only inquiry a hospital asks is “who’s going to pay?” If they have no insurance they are still treated, just like you or I would be. No hospital asks to see their green card or proof of citizenship before they are given treatment. Sometimes they arrive in emergency because they’ve been involved in a traffic accident, hurt on the job or the victim of a crime and arrive via an ambulance and are unconscious. That will not change, no matter what kind of health care plan we end up implementing.

One radio talk show host stated, “If we want to blame anything for illegal aliens receiving any kind of health care in this country, blame Christianity. Because in spite of those who try to deny it, this country was founded upon Juneau-Christian principles and the Bible clearly teaches us that we are our brothers’ keeper. That principle is also a major driver about how we implement health care in this country.” He went on to say that, “Nobody that works in any hospital in this country will just let someone die because they can’t pay or prove they are legally in this country!” I agree….I wonder if Joe Wilson claims to be a Christian.

Representative Wilson knows, or he should know how unauthorized immigrants access our health care systems. If he doesn’t he should be chastised for sluffing on the job. I’m sure he has a quaggle of legislative aides that prep him on all of the statistical information necessary to make informed decisions. He has the right to disagree with President Obama on anything his conscious and/or “moral compass” drives him to, but for him to call the President a liar in front of the whole world, is nothing short of disgraceful and it is part of the same ilk that thinks it’s alright to come to a town hall meeting in which the President of the United States is hosting strapped with a firearm….just to send a message. Yes he has the right to do it, but why and what message is he sending??? Again I ask, whatever happened to the respect for the office of the President that the right side of the political spectrum so often champions? It was their war cry when they lead the drive to impeach President Clinton.

Representative Wilson’s shenanigans has brought to my mind an old joke that used to permeate through the “hood” back in the day.  It goes, “What do you call a Black man with a PhD?”  Those of you who know the answer to that question know exactly what I mean.

I cannot for the life of me figure out why there is such an outcry about a planned speech to school children by the duly elected leader of our country; especially when this is not the first time that a president has address school dhildren. Teddy Roosevelt did it in 1907, Woodrow Wilson in 1917, Ronald Reagan in 1986 and Bush-41 in 1991. Bush-43 even produced a parent & teacher guide during his administration. In my opinion, this is the epitome of silly season, which is usually confined to election campaigns. It is now in full bloom and is in grave danger of becoming a year-round permanent part of our public discourse.
I understand the high octane fervor of debate regarding President Obama’s attempt to reform the American health care system—that is the American way. What I do not understand is the on-going attempt to portray this presidnet as a Boogey Man, destined to morph into some sort of Hitler-like Demagogue and have us all marching around in jack boots.

I have heard more than one talk show host say that he/she will not allow their children to see or hear the speech; invoking Hitler as a comparison. This is just plain rediculous and so-called parental responsibility run amok. The wise parent would watch the speech too and spend some time discussing the merits or problems of the speech.
Whatever happened to respect for the office of the President that the right side of the political wing so often champions? COME ON PEOPLE (to borrow a line from Bill Cosby), let’s wake up, stop calling each other names and allow our system of self-government work itself out!! Our system is comprised of elements from both the left and right side of the political spectrum and it is that blend of ideas that have allowed us to stand head and shoulders above the rest of the world. As one infamous California resident once said, “Can we all just get along?”